The Power Of Words'

Laura "Mac" McGrath's parents read to her Tuesday in her hospital room, knowing that her own words of hope and empowerment would help her emerge from the darkness.

"I am strong. I can use my muscles to help. I pull with my arms. I push with my legs. "

They read from the pages of her popular children's book, i am, just as McGrath has done for so many kids.

McGrath, 34, has been in a coma at Delray Medical Center since being injured in a traffic accident June 13 while driving home after dropping off her son Reece, 3, at daycare.

She has severe head injuries and broken bones in her neck. However, there is no brain swelling and she is now breathing on her own, relatives say.

Those who know her well are convinced she will pull through. The Boynton Beach resident has already overcome drug addiction, depression, thoughts of suicide and a bad marriage.

"Our hearts are torn apart," her sister, Donna Nummela, said on Tuesday. "Every day at the hospital we're talking to her. We're just telling her she needs to stay here and take care of the kids."

Reece and McGrath's 11-year-old daughter, Riley, are being cared for by her family.

Police said a Federal Express truck turned in front of McGrath's Isuzu at the intersection of North Congress Avenue and Northwest 17th Avenue in Delray Beach. Her car slammed under the right side of the truck. It took paramedics 15 minutes to cut her from the wreckage.

Five years ago, McGrath published i am. She has also started her own business, Mac & Co., and founded a nonprofit organization called Project Mac, which has raised money for a variety of charities.

"It's all about the power of words," she said last year. "I want these kids to grow up as empowered people, with confidence and self-respect. I want them to feel they are valued in this world."

McGrath has read to a variety of groups, including senior citizens, mental health patients and foster kids. Last year, she spoke at the Abuse Prevention Conference in Tampa.

The turning point for her came about five years ago, friends say, while sitting in a pool. McGrath was a high school dropout, a single mom with two children who had just gotten out of a bad marriage and was on welfare. She grabbed a pen and paper and began to write.

"She felt so bad about herself," said Peggy Cupaiole, a friend. "She needed to hear these things. She started writing them down."

A few hours later, those words became i am, which she also illustrated.

"It flowed out of her," said her friend Beverly Mills. "She said, let's tell them when they're 5 years old that they're special. The book has been as powerful with adults as with children."

The 18-page book, which costs $5 and has sold about 6,000 copies across South Florida, can be found at bookstores and through Internet booksellers.

Since the book was published, McGrath has become a motivational speaker for young people, visiting schools, the Literacy Coalition, Kids in Distress and HeadStart programs to read from her book and give out free copies.

Often, while reading, she asks children to repeat phrases from her book, such as "I am talented" and "I am helpful."

Her message is simple, Cupaiole said, which is to reach kids early and instill in them a healthy self-esteem.

"When you're in first grade, nobody talks about feelings of loneliness and not fitting in," Cupaiole said. "She wanted to make a difference when they're young."